by AngelaCharles

Created on: April 29, 2008

THE BENEFITS OF SCRAPBOOKING YOUR MEMORIES

Over the years, I have discovered firsthand the many benefits to scrapbooking my family photos. I started scrapbooking shortly after my son was born, as a way to celebrate each new milestone in his life. It didn't take me long to realize that scrapbooking isn't just about preserving photographs. From giving you a better appreciation to life, to sharing cherished memories, there are many benefits to scrapbooking.

Shortly after I began scrapbooking, I was attending a birthday party for my niece. Throughout the day I caught myself capturing the moment in my mind, thinking of the many different ways that I could embellish that day into a scrapbook keepsake. Eleven years later I still catch myself doing this. This has given me a much fuller appreciating for life, helping me to appreciate each moment for what it truly is, a memory.

Scrapbooking has given me a constructive hobby to devote my free time to. I used to spend countless hours in front of the television, doing nothing. Now instead I devote some of that wasted time to creating keepsake pages. With each page I create, I feel a sense of accomplishment. It doesn't matter if the page takes me ten minutes or two hours, the personal satisfaction that I get from creating a keepsake page, whether it is for me or someone else is extraordinary.

Keepsake albums instantly become family heirlooms to pass from one generation to the next. I have taken my mother's black and white photos and created a keepsake book from many of her old photos. Before putting them in an album, these pictures sat in a box under her bed. Now she can easily share these precious memories with her children and grandchildren.

I have also found it is much easier to share my photos in a keepsake album, rather than trying to boot up digital pictures, or fumbling through an album of numerous pictures. For each vacation, or special day I print a handful of pictures and put them into a keepsake album. That way, when it's time to show off the vacation photos, I don't have to bore guests with dozens of pictures they really aren't interested in. Instead, I can give them a quick snapshot of the most appealing photos, in a beautiful scrapbook layout.

Scrapbooking is also a great way to get your monies worth out of your photos. With the cost of your camera, buying film and developing with traditional camera's, each picture is quiet an investment. In creating a keepsake album with your pictures, you are actually utilizing your investment.

As you can see, scrapbooking truly does benefit you in countless ways. For me, the joy that scrapbooking brings me is the greatest reward. Whether it is a gift or a keepsake for myself, I love watching as my pictures come to life in a scrapbook.

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